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Middle Yuba River Headwaters English Meadow Forest Management

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Middle Yuba River Headwaters English Meadow Forest Management 2020 MIDDLE YUBA RIVER HEADWATERS ENGLISH MEADOW FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN Nevada and Sierra Counties, California Prepared in Partnership By: Nevada Irrigation District ~ Environmental Resources Division Under the Trees Inc. P.O. Box 363, Nevada City, CA 95959 530.470.6115 Sierra Nevada Conservancy Watershed Improvement Program Middle Yuba River Headwaters-English Meadow Forest Management Plan 2020 Property Name: English Meadow Mailing Address: 1036 West Main Street, Grass Valley, CA 94945 Owner Name (s): Nevada Irrigation District Plan Author(s): Kevin Whitlock Registered Professional Forester #2436 Under the Trees Inc. Nevada City, CA 95959 Email: [email protected] Funding for this project has been provided by the Sierra Nevada Conservancy, an agency of the State of California, California Drought, Water, Parks, Climate, Coastal Protection, and Outdoor Access For All Act of 2018 (Proposition 68) grant cycle and in support of the Sierra Nevada Watershed Improvement Program. 1 Middle Yuba River Headwaters-English Meadow Forest Management Plan 2020 Acronyms APN - Assessor’s Parcel Number ATFS - American Tree Farm System BMP - Best Management Practices CDF – CAL FIRE Department of Forestry and Fire Protection CDFA - California Department of Food and Agriculture CDFW - California Department of Fish and Wildlife CEQA - California Environmental Quality Act CESA - California Endangered Species Act CFIP - California Forest Improvement Program CFR - Code of Federal Regulations CNDDB - California Natural Diversity Database CNDDB - California Natural Diversity Data Base CNPS - California Native Plant Society DBH - Diameter-at-breast-height (~4.5 feet above the ground) FESA - Federal Endangered Species Act FMP - Forest Management Plan GHG - Greenhouse Gas GIS - Geographic Information System MDB&M - Mount Diablo Base and Meridian NRCS - Natural Resources Conservation Service RWQCB - Regional Water Quality Control Board SCLT - Sierra County Land Trust STA - Special Treatment Area TPZ - Timber Production Zone U.S. - United States USACE - United States Army Corps of Engineers USFS - US Forest Service USFWS - United States Fish and Wildlife Service USGS - United States Geological Survey 2 Middle Yuba River Headwaters-English Meadow Forest Management Plan 2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. PURPOSE OF THE FOREST MANAGEMENT PLAN.......................... 6 Land Owners Goals and Objectives ......................................................................................................... 6 2. PROPERTY FACTS ............................................................................. 9 Legal Description ........................................................................................................................................ 9 Description of the Property ....................................................................................................................... 9 Access ....................................................................................................................................................... 11 Watershed.................................................................................................................................................. 12 3. PROPERTY HISTORY ....................................................................... 15 4. CURRENT CONDITIONS ................................................................... 17 Roads ......................................................................................................................................................... 17 Forest Structure ........................................................................................................................................ 18 Geology ...................................................................................................................................................... 26 Soils ........................................................................................................................................................... 29 Timber Inventory ....................................................................................................................................... 31 Pests and Disease .................................................................................................................................... 35 Insects .................................................................................................................................................... 36 Pest and disease management considerations ..................................................................................... 37 Streams, Wetlands, Lakes and Ponds .................................................................................................... 37 Recreation ................................................................................................................................................. 40 Threatened or Endangered Species - Plants or Animals ..................................................................... 40 Animal Survey ........................................................................................................................................ 41 Plant Survey ........................................................................................................................................... 41 Fire Risk and Hazard Severity ................................................................................................................. 43 Fire Protection Objectives ...................................................................................................................... 43 Fire Model ............................................................................................................................................... 44 5. ENGLISH MEADOW FLOODPLAIN ENHANCEMENT, HEALTHY FORESTS AND MEADOW RESTORATION PLAN .............................. 45 6. FOREST TREATMENT AND REQUIRED PERMITS ......................... 48 Desired Condition ..................................................................................................................................... 48 Harvest Documents .................................................................................................................................. 49 Additional CEQA/NEPA Notification for Ground Practices .................................................................. 49 Types of Treatments ................................................................................................................................. 50 Monitoring ................................................................................................................................................. 52 3 Middle Yuba River Headwaters-English Meadow Forest Management Plan 2020 7. MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS AND BEST PRACTICES ........ 53 Soils – Erosion Control ............................................................................................................................ 53 Streams, Wetlands, Lakes and Ponds .................................................................................................... 56 Roads - Construction ............................................................................................................................... 57 Culvert & Ditches, and Road Conditions ............................................................................................... 58 Pests .......................................................................................................................................................... 60 Fire Protection .......................................................................................................................................... 60 Air Resources ........................................................................................................................................... 63 Security ...................................................................................................................................................... 63 Climate Considerations and Carbon Sequestration ............................................................................. 64 APPENDIX 1 – SOIL TYPES DESCRIPTIONS ........................................ 67 APPENDIX 2 – PESTS AND DISEASES DESCRIPTION ........................ 70 APPENDIX 3 – BIOLOGY ........................................................................ 76 APPENDIX 4 – CAL FIRE LIST OF HARVEST PERMITS ....................... 93 APPENDIX 5 – ADDITIONAL PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE .............. 94 REPORTS AND LITERATURE CITED ..................................................... 97 4 Middle Yuba River Headwaters-English Meadow Forest Management Plan 2020 List of Figures, Maps, and Tables Figures Figure 1: Forest Vegetation Simulator Model Current Stocking Level Output – Page 32 Figure 2: English Meadow Floodplain Enhancement, Healthy Forests and Meadow Restoration Project Schedule– Page 46 Maps Map 1: English Meadow Location Map – Page 11 Map 2: Watershed Map – Page 13 Map 3: Watershed Land Ownership Map – Page 14 Map 4: Access Point Location Map – Page 18 Map 5: Wildlife Habitat Relationships Map – Page 20 Map 6: Fens, Springs, and Seep Locations at English Meadow. (Stevens 2018) – Page 24 Map 7: Landslide Complex on Southeast Margin of English Meadow – Page 27 Map 8: Debris Flow on Southeast Slope above English Meadow – Page 28 Map 9: Soil Types and Location – Page 30 Map 10: Past Management within the Watershed
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